The local government unit of Manaoag recorded more than 800,000 visitors to the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Rosary of Manaoag while the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) logged 33,798 tourist arrivals during the Holy Week.
In an interview on Monday, Manaoag Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario said the visitors were mostly from Pampanga, Bulacan, and Metro Manila.
“Some of them have already camped within the vicinity of the church and we, together with the police and military augmentation and force multipliers, have provided security to the pilgrims,” Rosario said.
He added that no untoward incident was recorded despite the huge crowds during the Holy Week from April 6 to 9 and the Day of Valor on April 10.
“We are again preparing for the influx of visitors come our town fiesta on April 26 wherein the original Our Lady of Manaoag will be (in) a procession,” Rosario said.
Meanwhile, the City Tourism Office of Alaminos recorded 33,798 tourist arrivals from April 6 to 10.
In an interview, city tourism officer Miguel Sison said of the total number, 24,435 were domestic tourists from Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales, Mountain Province, including Baguio City; 9,280 were local tourists from Pangasinan; and 83 foreign tourists.
Sison said the influx of tourists generated PHP2.7 million for the city.
“Maganda talaga resulta. Dumagsa maraming turista at ganoon din nakabawi stakeholders sa tourism (It resulted good with many tourists that the tourism stakeholders were able to earn),” he said.
Sison said the Pilgrimage Island and its adjacent Ramos and Quezon Islands were the crowd favorite.
“Ramos Island has a coffee shop and a view deck that features the scenic HINP. The swimming area is on Quezon Island where there are also water sports activities,” he said.
He said no untoward incident has been reported at the HINP during the holidays.
The national park, he said, welcomed 158,265 tourists from January 1 to April 10 this year.
Sison said they are still on alert for the expected influx of tourists this summer season.
“That’s why the inspections of the motorboats are continuous and the task force is on alert monitoring,” he said.
Two luxury cruise ships are expected to arrive at the HINP on May 10 and June 8 this year. (PNA)
